By Joe Lane
As a graduating (nonresident) senior, with no other family members preparing to come to the University of Iowa, the budget cuts announced last week do not affect me on a personal financial level. However, this is not to say that people I care about at this university will go unaffected; quite the opposite, in fact.
The cuts and subsequent changes did make me think about the value of a secondary education and the ultimate impact I will have on society upon graduating. In other words: Was this all worth it?As a nonresident business student, my tuition is high — really high. Base (not factoring scholarships or other financial aid) tuition and fees for out-of-state business students, according to the UI Admissions website, ranges from $31,236.50 to $32,996.50.
According to College Board, the average published undergraduate out-of-state tuition and fees for the 2016-17 school year is $24,930. This number is not specific for business students who, typically, have elevated base tuition and fees. But the point remains valid: no matter where you go — especially if it’s out-of-state — you’re going to be spending a lot of money on your education.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a column about the option to graduate in three years and decided that I wouldn’t want to because I believe the merit of an American education isn’t in the classroom but in the four years you get outside of it.
Now, near the end of my college career, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in a number of interviews and conversations with professionals in my chosen field. With the exception of one instance, I am yet to talk about my coursework. Instead, I talk about the student jobs I’ve had. I talk about writing for The Daily Iowan. I talk about the professional relationships I’ve developed with my professors. Essentially, I talk about the real-life experiences I’ve strung together during my four incredible years at the University of Iowa.
High tuition prices can be crippling. Students in less fortunate financial situations spend every day preparing for the burden that they will face during and after their college careers. But what if tuition was used for something other than classroom resources? What if American postsecondary education shifted to a model that emphasized experiential learning and supported it with classwork as opposed to the other way around? Yes, these students would likely still face unparalleled debt, but the value proposition of this system would be much easier to grapple with.
It’s a radical idea, but it’s already in place even on our campus. The Tippie RISE program, for example, requires business students to take part in one of the following to graduate: research, internship, study abroad, or experiential courses.
I have adored almost every course I’ve taken at the UI and would never argue that I haven’t been bettered by them. And without further exploration, I have no proposal to address the divide between classroom and experiential learning. But when I look back on my time at the UI, my fondest and most powerful memories — not to mention the things that prepared me best for my future career — will not have occurred in the classroom.
If out-of-state students are preparing to spend upwards of $100,000 on their education, that money should go to the experiences that will prepare them for real life. It shouldn’t supplement the experiences they’re finding elsewhere during that time.